Try
by TheObsessor11294
Summary: Series of oneshots. In the aftermath of World War II, a young woman was found amongst the rubble in a coma, never aging, and never waking. After several decades of being held as a top secret project by British Government, they gave her to SHIELD for further studies. Only now...She's waking up.
1. Try

Breathing…..

She was breathing…

An unfamiliar sensation, after years of sleeping… drifting…aimlessly in the darkness…..

A sound, muffled, and far away.

_So very far away…_

"_Heart…impossible…._"

"_Should….call….?_"

"_A Hundred….SHIELD…._"

Sensation seemed to sluggishly crawl up her limbs, nerves aching from disuse, muscles and bones struggling to respond to their owners wants. The voices grew clearer, and she reached out to them, letting the sound draw her out of the depths of her dream, out of the state of near lifelessness she had placed herself in.

"We should…..let…know…"

"My Research….. subject…..071 will not….."

"Director Fury….to know…..as soon as…..signs of life…."

She could feel something pinching her arm, and struggled against the weight of her eyes, feeling as though she would have an easier time lifting a building before her eyelids surrendered the fight.

"Director Fury made it….clear."

"I'm not….until I know….."

Delicate, black eyelashes parted, revealing a single, acid green eye, shining like shards of broken glass.

A white room. Men in White coats. A thin, white hospital gown that was missing her dignity. Her wrists bound, an incessant beeping that seemed to be hammering in time with her bloodied heart. The men were arguing, quite vehemently, behind a pane of glass in another room.

_Not again….. _

_**Not Again**__….. _

Blood began to ooze down her chest…

Down her fingers...

Stained her eyes...

She screamed.


	2. Belladonna

They didn't speak at first.

Alice sitting stiffly across from the one eyed man, his single, dark brown eye boring into her own as she stared determinedly at the metal table between them. Her blood splattered apron and dress was much more preferable to the foreign fabric that they had dressed her in when she was awoken.

The last thing she had remembered was making her way through London, ages past when she should have long become old and grey, yet remained the same as the day she had stepped out of her wonderland and back into the real world. The hellacious noises overhead, the lights, the sounds, the cries of soldiers ushering men and women off of the streets and into shelters. She was barely noticed, as she took shelter under a nearby bridge. Her Wonderland reflected the reality, fires occasionally lighting along her path, darkness haunting the edges, but thankfully remaining clear of the trauma of her past, as she avoided recently bombed areas for the sake of her sanity. Then, a crack above her, a loud, calamitous bang, and then darkness.

"137 years." The man began, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Half of a torn scar remained uncovered by his eyepatch, only serving to accentuate his solemn demeanor as he took in the young, silent woman in front of him. "They originally found you in the rubble of a building that had collapsed under the bombings of the London Blitz. You had gone into a coma, and were admitted into a hospital."

"However, you never woke up, and after nearly a decade of you laying in your comatose state without so much as a wrinkle on your face, they began to understand that you weren't just any patient." He laced his fingers, steepling them as she continued to stare him down silently.

"They believed you might've have a gene for anti aging, and studied you, examining what they believed to be a cure for old age, a key to immortality, or eternal youth..." The man shook his head. "But they couldn't figure it out. After another few decades, they offered you up to our research team to see if we could do any better." He smiled ironically. "And, well, here we are."

He swept his arms out, gesturing to the walls around them. But upon seeing her expression remain as stony and blank as before, he let his smile fall, and heaved a sigh.

"Things have changed a lot in the last few years, so, it might come as a shock to you...Luckily, we have another guy adjusting to the 21st century too. And he's only a few years younger than you I bet."

She twitched slightly at that information, though her gaze remained hard focused on the table top.

He leaned forward slightly, and finally met her slightly unfocused gaze, bright bottle green meeting battle worn brown. "But I think the process would be much easier, if we properly introduced ourselves."

Alice blinked, and after a few minutes of continued silence, slowly, pale lips parted, and her parched voice spoke.

"Alice...My name is Alice..."


	3. Abandon

Rhoi 'r Gorau - Abandon

Alice, after much arguing and refusal and incessant rebuttals, stood alone in her designated apartment, staring down at the SHIELD uniform she had been told she should wear, but adamantly argued against. It was skin tight, unacceptable wear for one of Victorian origin, and would've put her mother to_ shame_ to wear such clothing.

She turned towards the window, staring out at the streets below. Such a strange place she had woken up to. If it hadn't been for the unmistakable humans that had jostled and bullied her since she had woken up from that darkness-

**_A darkness without name, without thought, without touch…A nightmare of its own making… _**

She'd have thought herself in some new part of Wonderland; though it lacked the certain _spark_ the air within her mindscape held, the unmistakable _feeling_ it carried when one walked through it.

A familiar figure faded into existence beside her, letting out an insulted hiss at the sight of the clothing left on her bed.

"What in Wonderland's good name are those _atrocities_?" Cheshire asked, recoiling at the sight of the uniforms.

"My new uniform. I reacted the same way when they tried to force them on me." Alice said, not turning her gaze away from the window, even as the cat moved closer, still eyeing the clothes not unlike how one views a coiled viper on the other side of the room.

"The world has only grown even madder than before if that is considered standard." Cheshire said, moving to sit down next to Alice.

"It appears I am not the only one who thinks so." Alice admitted, reaching over to flip through a manilla colored folder, pursing her lips at the various phrases used.

"Oh?" Cheshire asked, his ear twitching as he turned to grin at her.

"A soldier. Older, well, younger than me. He's just come out of a sleep as well. Not as long as mine was, but still as lost as I am…" She murmured. She turned, glancing down at the cat who smiled at her wickedly. "…..You know something." She accused, narrowing sharp green eyes and closing the folder, turning to face the gaunt feline.

"I know many things. Of which do you mean?" Cheshire asked innocently, blood speckled teeth glistening in the setting light.

"I mean about this. About waking up to this world once more! You know why I'm here….even when I don't." She said, crossing her arms as she glowered down at the skeletal cat.

"Perhaps." He admitted, but only grinned, golden eyes shining in amusement. "There is….._a disturbance_, shall we say. You must abandon all that you think you know, and prepare for the war to come. The darkness you have escaped from comes in many forms, and there is much to do, until the time comes to step up and do battle. Death is never satisfied, and her servants desperate to please her. These people will need your talents for the **_mind_** Alice, and you must be prepared to step _forward_…" He advised, vanishing until all was left was his grin, before that faded away as well, leaving her alone in the apartment.

She scowled at the cryptic answer, and turned to look back at the clothes.

She would burn them in the morning.


	4. Books

Alice struggled against the doors into her apartment building, trying to handle the small ring of keys in her hand while trying to balance the variety of books she had stacked in her other arm. "Cantankerous door..." She growled, the books in her arm wobbling dangerously as she shifted, trying to get the blasted key into the aforementioned lock.

The books in her arm shifted dangerously. "Woah, woah!" Another voice called out, and suddenly, there were hands, steadying the crooked tower of history books that were about to topple onto the pavement. Alice turned, head twisting about to look at her sudden savior.

The first thing she noticed were the blue eyes, brimming with kindness and curiosity as he eased the stack of thick hardcovers back into a less precarious position. The handsome blonde hair more suited towards those of the more traditional hairstyles of her day, if not closer to the time she had fallen into the darkness, the abyss without name. He wore a simple blue paid shirt, with respectable plain khaki pants finished with simple brown loafers on his feet.

He was almost a solid foot taller than she was, having to crane her neck slightly to look up at him as he straightened with her, a friendly smile shaping his almost boyish face as Alice secured her hold over her goods. "Uh, hi..." He greeted, smiling at her. He glanced down at her hand, still clutching the assortment of keys while gripping the bottom most tome.

"Oh! I'll get the door for you!" He said, stepping forward to unlock the door, the jingling of metal, followed by the expected_ 'click'_ of the lock giving way signaling the opening of the apartment doorway. The man smiled politely, holding the heavy door open for her. "After you Ma'am." He nodded, as Alice slowly stepped past him, before moving to the elevator.

He followed, once again rescuing her from further embarrassment as he pressed the button first. She sighed through her nose, her lips puckering slightly with irritation as she stared at the chrome barrier keeping her from her rooms. The lights signaling the elevator's arrival were agonizingly snail paced today.

"So..." The man began awkwardly, glancing at her awkwardly. "You uh...y-you're with SHIELD?" He asked, looking over at her, taking in the pallid skin, blue dress, and suspicious red splatter on her apron even though her hands were pristinely clean.

"Is this building for SHIELD agents and employees?" Alice asked, her gaze unmoving from the elevator doors. _7...6...5..._

"Uh...yes?" _4...3..._

"Then I work for SHIELD." _2...1_

The doors slid open with a mild groan, and Alice stepped inside, hoping to leave the man behind, only for him to step inside with her. "Which floor do you live on Ma'am?" He asked, fingers hovering over the number pad.

"Floor six." Alice said curtly, turning her gaze to her reflection in the mirrors of the elevator walls.

"Oh, me too." He smiled, pressing the button as the doors slid short before them.

Alice twitched, wondering vaguely if she should have taken the stairs instead.

They fell into silence, Alice staring at her reflection, taking in her real body that her mind hid from others, her body strong, but her face exhausted; her skin sallow from years of being hidden from the sun, dark shadows under her eyes from dark dreams, and her old clothes worn thin beneath her mental image.

The man was looking around awkwardly, seeming to struggle with coming with the next topic of stiff conversation. Finally, he turned to her. "If I may ask ma'am, what's your name?" He asked.

Alice's hands gripped at her books, and she struggled to school her expression before her irritation became too obvious. "Alice. Alice Liddell if you must know..."

The man's eyes widened. "_You're_ Alice?" He asked, turning to face her.

"That is indeed my name, as hard as it is to believe." She said, juggling with her books slightly as she tried to switch to her room key. The man placed a hand atop the pile of texts in her arms, stilling her minor struggle.

"I'm Steve Rogers. Did Nick Fury mention me? He told me you were from around my time?" Steve asked, eyes brimming with hope. Alice blinked, looking up at him. Mr. Fury had indeed mentioned this man to her, a man (younger in the timeline sense, yet older in the physical sense, a backwards and obfuscated explanation of what their age group should be in her opinion.) that was supposed to be her new teammate in this "Avengers Initiative" Nick Fury had explained to her, her possible only reason for being allowed out of that..._.room_ of her own free will. A soldier, from World War II, a war that had only just begun when she'd gone under.

"Quite a bit before that I should think." Alice said, and saw him blink slightly in confusion, before smiling again, just as friendly as before.

"Well, it's nice to know that there's someone just as new to this as I am." Steve commented, and politely looked over the stack of books once more. "Are you sure you don't want me to take a few?"

"I..." Alice faltered, taking in his polite expression. "I suppose..."

He grinned, reaching down to take half of the pile in her arms, lifting them with ease as the doors slid open with a ding.

Alice stepped through, the former solider following her closely.

"Which apartment are you staying in?" He asked curiously, as Alice marched through the halls with a confident stride.

"Apartment 606." She said, not even slowing in the slightest.

"Oh! I'm in 607, what a coincidence!"

Her steps faltered for a second, and a certain man with an eyepatch leapt to the forefront of her mind. Her lips curled at the realization. "Coincidence indeed..." The savior of Wonderland muttered, green eyes fixating on the door to her apartment just up ahead.

"These are a lot of history books..." Steve commented, staring down at the tower of tomes in his hands.

Alice scoffed. "One should be quick about educating themselves in a foreign environment Mr. Rogers. It could leave one very vulnerable otherwise." She said, stopping before her door.

"Oh please, call me Steve. Mr. Rogers always makes me think of my father." Steve said with a laugh.

"As you wish..." Alice muttered, unlocking the door to her apartment, letting it swing open. The living accommodations Mr. Fury had set up for her were well adjusted to her time period, victorian furniture dotting the room, replica china ware in the cabinets; he even made arrangements for traditional english tea blends to be delivered to her regularly. The living room and kitchen were just as she left it, with the various literature and poetic novels she had purchased beforehand scattered over the apartment, various works of famous authors placed over the coffee tables and small kitchen counter, some even dispersed along the floor, right where she had left them.

She picked her way over the books splayed over the carpet, setting her newest additions on top of what little space was left on the coffee table. "Make yourself at home if you wish." Alice said, making her way over to the kettle, flicking on the gas stove to make tea.

"I wish I could, but I'm heading to the gym in a little bit. Gotta keep in shape and all." Steve said, awkwardly glancing over the messy room, before setting the books onto a remarkably clear table nearby.

"Whatever suits your fancy. I assume we will see each other soon enough." Alice said, turning to flip a page of Shakespeare's Macbeth as she waited for the tea to boil.

"What do you mean?" He asked, blinking at her in confusion.

"The Avengers Initiative Mr. Fury included ourselves in. I assume there will be a mission of some sort that he will ask us to participate in." Alice said, looking up at him.

Steve's lips parted in recognition. "Oh! Oh right, right. Avengers." He smacked his palms together awkwardly, looking around the apartment. "It was uh, nice to meet you Alice." He said kindly, reaching out to grasp the handle of the door.

"And you as well Mr. Rogers." Alice nodded, returning her gaze to her books.

Steve nodded, smiling a tad tightly before closing the door after him, leaving Alice alone in her apartment. She glanced up at the door, shaking her head slightly.

"Men."


	5. Raindrops

_Fire..._

_A raging fire..._

_Engulfing her heart..._

_Her traitorous heart..._

_A bloody ruin..._

_Ashen with smoke..._

**_Alice._**

_Her father, flesh and blood burned to cinders..._

**_Alice._**

_Her mother, her gentle face frozen in a scream, her hair alight with flame in a hellish crown..._

**_Alice._**

_Her sister, locked in her room, already slaughtered before the first spark was lit..._

_She shouldn't be alive..._

_She shouldn't be alive..._

_She __shouldn't be alive..._

**_Alice?_**

Jade green eyes snapped open in the dark, the faint pitter patter of rain against her window casting shadows across the walls and her skin, droplets of cold sweat clinging to her forehead. Alice took a shaky deep breath, before a loud knock broke through the silence.

"_Hello_? Anybody home?" A muffled, male voice asked, coming from the door to her apartment. She pulled the heavy comforter off of her slim frame, hurriedly wiping at her forehead before moving towards the door, only pausing to slip on her boots and quickly secure her apron around her waist.

Another knock met the wood before she pulled it open, just enough that the chain over her door allowed for a glimpse of her pale face through the crack, allowing the light from the hallway to spill into the dark apartment.

A young man stood there, appearing to be in his early thirties, wearing what appeared to be a dusty leather jacket and black jeans, blue eyes looking at her in surprise as she peered at him in the dim lighting of the hallway. His cropped brown blonde hair seeming to reflect the quality of his scuffed black boots, worn, but comfortable, as well as tough.

It was silent between the two, the man watching uncomfortably as the strange girl gave him a slow once over from the safety of the cracked door, not even having responded to his calls for her by name.

He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Um, hi, I'm Clint Barton. Code name Agent Hawkeye. I was assigned onto the Avengers Initiative and I thought I'd introduce myself to the others on the team..."

Alice's lips curled into a frown, staring at him blankly through the door.

The silence grew tense. Clint shifted awkwardly, glancing around the hallway. "I mean, I know it's late, I mean, it's about 10 pm right? But uh, if now's not a good time-"

"It isn't." Alice cut off.

He froze, blinking at the tone.

"I appreciate the sentiments Mr. Barton, but it is incredibly rude to invite oneself over to a young woman's apartment without consulting her about such affairs beforehand. Such behavior would have you tossed back out onto the pavement for such disreputable actions where I came from."

"Oh." He said, apparently not even having considered it in that light. "Sorry... I guess."

"'Sorry' hardly repairs the situation at hand Mr. Barton." Alice said, before closing the door.

But before he could fully stiffen at the supposed affronted actions of the young woman, the door swung open, the metal chain having been unlatched from the door. "Come in then, my apartment isn't exactly presentable for guests, but the situation already appears to be out of my hands." She sighed heavily.

Alice stepped back, flipping on the light to make her way to the kitchen, hearing the man sidle into the apartment after her, clicking the door shut behind him. "Would you like something to drink? I find tea to be a comforting way to spend the evening on nights like this." She said.

"No, no I'm good. I mean, I didn't want to impose-"

"It's alright Mr. Barton. I should be the one apologizing. Poor sleep is hardly an excuse for poor manners." Alice said, flicking on the kettle as she set it onto the stove.

"The Thunder outside bothering you?" He asked, slowly making his way to sit on the victorian furniture in the living room.

Alice paused, her hands hesitating where they had been preparing to place the tea leaves into the strainer, before forcing herself to follow through the motion. "You could say that..." She said softly. She had been in such a deep sleep, she hadn't noticed it was thundering. What had become of her mind that she couldn't wake to the outside world...?

"Have you gotten any missions yet?" Clint asked lightly, leaning over to read one of the many open books left open on the coffee table, squinting.

"Missions?" She asked, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought..." The man paused, glancing down at her apron, at the splattered red marring it.

"Ah." She nodded, turning back to her tea making. "Those stains have always been there." She said idly. "I believe they appeared when I began painting the roses red..."

Clint's eyebrows furrowed, trying to figure out her meaning.

Alice didn't notice.

"But no Mr. Barton, I haven't accepted any missions from the Director just yet. I prefer I at least know the basics of my surroundings before diving into them blindly." She said.

"Gotcha. Gotcha..." Clint trailed off. He suddenly perked, looking up at her. "Have you got any booze?"

Alice recoiled. "I beg your pardon?"

"Booze; you know, scotch, gin, all that good stuff?" Barton asked.

Alice's lip curled in distaste. "I do not partake in that ribaldry, if that is what you are suggesting Mr. Barton."

Clint's face fell, and he rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Oh. Sorry. I was just hoping for some before I leave for New Mexico tomorrow. I'm being transferred back there for guard duty."

"And pray tell, why would you wish to be hungover before doing such a potentially perilous job?"

"I dunno. A final buzz before I get cut off for months on end I guess?" Clint said with a shrug, and sighed, mourning for the drink he craved as he rested his chin in his hand.

Alice shook her head at the man's behavior, bottle green eyes staring at him scrutinously.

After a few minutes of watching his sullen behavior she sighed in defeat, and slowly turned, reaching into the lower cabinet and pulling out a wine glass, and a small bottle of champagne.

Clint's eyes lit up, blinking in surprise at the sight of the drink.

"One of the Shield Agents thought I would like to celebrate waking up in this century. But I have no use for alcohol, and I don't believe in wasting good intentions..."

_Clint and Alice became friends very, very fast._

* * *

Eh, could've ended better, but I'm happy with the way it came out. Read and Review please!


	6. Cookies

Alice dunked the delicate ginger cookie into her tea, letting the warm liquid sink into the crisp and spicy wafer before taking it out, taking a polite nibble on the softened edge.

Taking a napkin, she delicately patted her lips, before looking up at the grinning figure across the table. "If you're not going to partake in afternoon tea you might as well leave. I have no use for stale cakes and sandwiches."

Cheshire chuckled, flashing his fangs as his ears twitched. "Oh but I do enjoy your parties so. They are such…..lively affairs." He purred, glancing around the empty apartment, only the two of them filling the seats at Alice's table.

Alice's pursed in irritation. "That is hardly my fault Cat. I am still on probation. Many of my acquaintances are away on business or otherwise. And I am hardly in the mood for having crockery launched at my skull." She muttered. Hatter's parties were always much more chaotic than she felt was comfortable, the madman threatening bodily harm to anyone with poor manners and poorly wound clocks. Mad hallucinations indeed.

"Hatter does have a way with setting his guests off their tea doesn't he?" Cheshire grinned, before leaning down to take a small lap from the bowl of cream in front of him.

A soft, firm knock reached their ears, and Cheshire chuckled at Alice's surprised expression. "I wasn't expecting anyone at this hour…." She murmured, looking up at the grandfather clock, ticking past five thirty one.

"As they say Alice, two is company, but three is a crowd. I take my leave…." Cheshire said, fading away, nothing but the bowl of cream leaving a sign of his being there.

Alice stood, lightly brushing off her apron of any crumbs from her dainty meal, before moving over to the door, peering through the peephole to see one of the many agents she had seen upon awakening from her 'sleep'.

She cracked open the door, peering under the chain blocking the agent entry.

"Hello Miss Liddell. My name is Agent Coulson. You may not remember me, but I was there when you woke up from your coma." The Agent greeted, grey blue eyes meeting sharp green. "I need to talk about you about a situation regarding the Avengers Initiative. May I come in?"

Alice's eyes narrowed, and after a brief glance up and down of the man, unlocked the door, backing out of the way so he could enter.

The man entered, taking a cursory glance of the apartment, his gaze landing on the bowl of milk set across from Alice's teacup.

"Would you like to stay for tea?" She asked, if only out of manners towards the agent as she pushed the door closed after him.

"No, thank you. I appreciate the offer but I have to leave here once I'm finished dropping the message off to you." He pulled out a folder, holding it out for the young woman to take. "Before you went into your coma, did you ever hear of a weapon called the tesseract?" He asked, as Alice took the folder from his hand.

"No." She said simply, before pulling out the folder, glancing down at the photo of the cube, along with a description of it's history. "Should I have?"

"It was a weapon found and used in the second World War, by a group known at the time as HYDRA. It vanished in the arctic with Captain America, and was found 4 years after his disappearance. SHIELD took custody of it and was attempting to use it for clean energy." If he noticed the way Alice's eyebrows furrowed at the unfamiliar phrase, he didn't respond to it. "24 hours ago, a portal was created through the tesseract, and was taken. We're going to need all hands on deck to retrieve it."

Alice was silent, the quiet shuffling of the papers the only thing breaking the silence. Then she looked up at the Agent. "Where shall we begin?"


End file.
